Refrigerator-car door



I'. F. O'CNNOR.

'REFRIGERATOR CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8, I9I8.

1,345,392. Patented Jul-y 6,1920;

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

JOHNY rjoconima or ourense, ILLrNoI-s, Assienon 'roY WILLIAM H, Minera-or cHAzY, new YORK.

' REFRIGERATOR-CAR DOOR.

cago, in tne county of Cookl and State ofv Illinois, have inventedfacertain new and useful Improvement in Refrigerator-Car Doors, of which the following isa full, clear,

concise, and exactV description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partgof this specification. Y

This invention Yrelates, to vimprovements in refrigerator car doors.

.ln the operation of refrigerator cars where thesame are transported from hot` t cold climates and vice versa, it frequently happens that the products being transported in the carswill require being iced during part of their travel and at otherparts will require being ventilated without icing. In other words, it frequently occurs that the refrigerator cars must besealed tight at certain times and at other times it is extremely desirable that openings at the center of the car be provided to permit necessary circulation of air through the cars during the transportation of the same products. So far' as l am aware, no adequate means have heretofore been provided for accomplishing the desirable results above indicated.

The object of my invention is to provide a refrigerator car with refrigerator side doors so arranged that the car can be sealed in the usual manner when desired or the side doors so arranged as to provide an air vent and permit circulation ofk air through the car when desired and at the same time prevent surreptitious removal of any of the cars contents.

In the drawing forming a part ofthis y specicatiomFigure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a car wall showing my improvements in connection with the side door thereof. Fig. 2 is a horizontal, sectional view upon an enlarged scale taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1. And Fig. 3 isa vertical, sectional view upon an enlarged scale taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

In said drawing, the side wall of the car is shown as provided with the usual refrigerator door opening which is defined by the threshold lO, side posts 1,1--11 and lintel 1Q. On the sides and top of the door opening, insulation is provided, that'shown inthe drawing being of a well knownform and comprising spring pressed portions Specification off-Letters 4Patent.

Patented July 6,1920.

Appii'cationniedfiamiary s, i918. serial No. 216,881.

13-13 covered over by canvas` 14 or other suitable packing material. y The 'door is formed in two parts, A and B inthe usual manner, the same having beveled meeting edges and the door B being closed last.

Final closure of the door` B and the locking of the same in closed position is `accomplished in a well known manner by means of a rotatable shaft 15 having crank arms 16%-16 at the ends thereof engageable in keepers 17--17 secured to the threshold and lintelof the door. The shaft 15 has an operating handle 18 which is adapted to be locked in closed position by any suitable means and sealedwith a lead sealin. the

usual manner. I K

vTo attain the objects of the invention hereinbefore set forth, the door B is` provided fat its free edge with an auxiliary. section"19, thesame being pivotal-ly connected to the main body of the door lB on the interior of the latter by means of double jointed hinges 20-20- The auxiliary section 19 corresponds in width to the thickness of the door B and is of trapezodial cross sec'- tion. Atits upper and lower edges, the auX- iliary section 19 is beveled as indicated at 21 to form a wedging fit with correspondingly beveled faces 22 on the main portionV r0f the door B.` For insulation, a layer of feltor canvas 2 -1 is preferably secured to the vertical inset face 25 ofthe main portion of the door VB.

retain the auxiliary section 19 in this posi- Y tion eyes and hooks 26 may be employed, asl shown in Fig. 1. In this condition, the door B will be operated andused exactly as the ordinary refrigerator door of present types employed. Vhen, however, it is desired to Y ventilate the refrigerator car and promote draft Vof air therethrough, the auX- iliary section 19 will be swung inwardly to the position indicated by dotted lines at 119 in Fig. 2, and it can be held in this position by means Vof other suitable hooks 27. lhen the auxiliary section 19 occupies the. position shown in dotted lines in Fig. r2, it is apparent that an elongated vent is provided between the doors A and B which will permit air entering the' ends of the car to pass out at the center of the car through the doors. At the same time, it will be observed that kthe .vent thus provided is comparatively by a lead seal.

With my arrangement, the railroads are enabled -to obtain greater service from the refrigerator cars'and without any appreciable additional expense. The construction is alsosimpleand `the change from one condition to another may be made by railroad operatives without diiiculty at any time desired while the car is in transit.

Although I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate Iall changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto. Y

I claim: f

l. In a railway refrigerator car having a side door opening .through which the car is adapted to be loaded and unloaded, of a pair of pivoted, insulated doors adapted to close said opening when the doors are in closed position, said doors having vertically extending beveled meeting edges, one of said doors having a section of its free beveled edge pivotally connected to the main portion of said door, said section being adapted to be swung to the inner'face of the main portion of the door of which it forms a part- Vto thereby leave a Ventilating `opening behavin a section at its free edge movably at-y tache to the main portion of said door, said section being adapted to be moved to a po-v sition overlying one face of the main portion of the door of which it forms a part to thereby leave a Ventilating opening between the edges of the two doors when the latter are both in closed position, and means for locking said doors in closed position.

n witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 29th day of Dec., 1917.

JOHN F. oooNNoR 

